Finally getting around to it - '71 series I

[scarguy055]

In 2015 when I created my account, I included "On track for world's slowest restoration..."

Did most of the disassembly several years ago.  Almost 10 years later and not getting any younger.  One kid left in college.  Time to get serious.

I want to do some of the work myself (mostly assembly and interior stuff), but things like bodywork and paint, engine, and transmission will be left to the pros.  Anyone know of a good restoration shop in the southeast US?  Most of the ones I find are either American muscle cars (we are in NASCAR country) or want to work on only high end European cars, such as Ferrari, Jaguar, etc. and have prices to match.

About the car...

9/70 build date (titled as a '71).

Original owner was elderly man in CA bay area.  I'm 2nd owner and have always kept it garaged.

All original... including original, uncracked series I dash, except wheels are mag wheels from '70 (owner said he got the new wheels and threw away the hubcaps after his first paycheck owning the car... if they only knew how much they'd be worth one day).  The windshield did not make it through disassembly.

Supposedly no body work and original paint, except the original owner did say he backed into something lightly which bent the metal next to the tailpipe cutout and made the left, rear bumperette a little crooked, which is how it was when I got it.  Very minor damage.

Transmission was replaced with B style by Datsun dealer early in life.

 

[Patcon]

Where in the carolinas are you?

I'm in Spartanburg

[dutchzcarguy]

Oh.. 10+ years for a restore of one of these is no exception, it took me 10+ years to do my 240z and over 10+ years to do my 280zx slick roof 2+2..

You car looks like a clean (not rusty) example, nice to work on!

[scarguy055]

near Charlotte

[Patcon]

There is a shop in spartanburg that moght do it. Kimbrells paint and auto. They do mostly American iron but I have seen some European stuff there on occasion.

You could also reach out to Diseazed and see if he has someone in Virginia that could help

[Diseazd]

Chuck’s frame shop in Richmond, Virginia is terrific…..a perfectionist that has done many Z’s and Porsches. Here are a couple he did for me.

 

[Namerow]

On 11/1/2024 at 6:55 PM, scarguy055 said:

Transmission was replaced with B style by Datsun dealer early in life.

The 'B' transmission's design places the base of the shift lever further forward relative to the front face of the bellhousing, resulting in a number of complications when a B unit is installed in a car that was designed for the A unit...

-  Base of shift lever hits the front edge of the cutout in the transmission tunnel when 1st or 3rd is selected.

-  Shifter knob comes too close to the HVAC fascia when 1st or 3rd is selected.

I'm curious to know how this issue was handled by the dealer who did the B-for-A transmission swap in your car.

p.s. I like the wood cradle that you built to support the car.  I know of another Z owner who built a rotisserie from wood.

[siteunseen]

I had to grind off some of shifter to get it to stay in gear 

 

[scarguy055]

7 hours ago, Namerow said:

The 'B' transmission's design places the base of the shift lever further forward relative to the front face of the bellhousing, resulting in a number of complications when a B unit is installed in a car that was designed for the A unit...

-  Base of shift lever hits the front edge of the cutout in the transmission tunnel when 1st or 3rd is selected.

-  Shifter knob comes too close to the HVAC fascia when 1st or 3rd is selected.

I'm curious to know how this issue was handled by the dealer who did the B-for-A transmission swap in your car.

p.s. I like the wood cradle that you built to support the car.  I know of another Z owner who built a rotisserie from wood.

Looks like tin snips and Vice Grips for the body, which is fine, and unfortunately a grinder on the shift lever.

I thought the original owner told me (over 22 years ago when I bought it) that the dealer did it, and I have a bunch of dealer and 3rd party receipts from him.

I found a receipt with an "R&R transmission" line item along with clutch and flywheel work done in 1989 by a 3rd party performance shop in California that cost just over $600 USD total for all work... parts, labor and fluids (says $150 of it was clutch and flywheel).  Was a transmission swap in '89, parts and labor, really only $450?